Cork woman: Bringing my dream to life afterlong hours and years of research

Two female entrepreneurs who met through an online leadership course have recently launched a frozen food start-up exclusively catering for people who have trouble swallowing.

Newcestown native Niamh Condon and Siobhan McNulty, from Donegal, are the dynamic duo behind Ocras, which produces frozen individually portioned texture-modified food for people who suffer with dysphagia.

This is a medical term for people who have swallowing difficulty, which may have been caused by multiple conditions, eg strokes, cancer, dementia, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone, Alzheimer’s and eating disorders etc. Currently, 8% of the world’s population (590 million people) have been diagnosed with dysphagia and lots more are struggling at home without diagnosis.

Niamh is a chef who worked in all aspects of hospitality before working for the last 10 years in the aged care sector, specialising in food for people with swallowing difficulties. During this time, she identified a health and safety issue within the sector in relation to food modification to meet International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) and HIQA standards.

Following on from these findings Niamh set up ‘Dining with Dignity’ in 2019 to train chefs in food modification in the healthcare environment.

Siobhan worked in finance in hospitality since 1990 and left the sector following 22 years in senior management in Harvey’s Point Hotel. She is currently a serial entrepreneur with two successful businesses operating in Donegal in drain cleaning services and utilities.

She and Niamh met in 2020 through an online Women in Leadership course. They created this project and have been working together since early 2022, launching Ocras this summer and working from a purpose-built kitchen in Clonakilty.

Ocras provide texture-modified snacks and meal items individually portioned, that are visually recognisable, with a focus on safety and nutrients, to meet an individual’s needs.

The food portions allow convenience for facilities to build a menu around the individual’s likes and dislikes. Crucially, the unique packaging presents the food items in a manner that visually represents its original form.

This helps large healthcare facilities to focus on the care and not be concerned regarding the texture-modified food items. 

"It also eliminates food waste from incorrectly modified food and food wastage left in blenders after attempting to modify a meal for a person,” said Niamh.

Ocras products look and taste like the original products.

“We firmly believe that people who are presented with food that is visually recognisable and safe for them will eat more and therefore be healthier. This is because people eat with their eyes first and if the food resembles its original form in look as well as in taste, they are more likely to willingly consume it,” said Niamh.

Niamh and Siobhán say they are so grateful for all the encouragement, mentoring and financial assistance they have received during their journey from idea to production, including Cork North & West LEO, Leader, Avondhu, Teagasc, Enterprise Ireland and UCC.

Future plans include exporting into Northern Ireland and the UK in the medium term, but for now they are concentrating on the healthcare sector.

“We are delighted to get this project across the line as I have been dreaming about it for 12 years. 

The long hours and research that went into it, from applications for funding, visiting workshops and exhibitions both here in Ireland and the UK over the past two years, have brought us to this point.

“We are delighted to have the support of speech and language therapists and dieticians on board with our products.

“We want to see people enjoying our food and maintaining their body weight and muscle mass while in hospital or a nursing home with a smile on their face. That is our aim,” said Niamh.